Protector for clotheslines



y 1939- E. J. HOLMAN PROTECTOR FOR CLOTHESLINES Filed April 22, 1956 AOFNEYQ Holman Y L w P" m 3%??? "VII/I 4 I! E Patented May 16, 1939 PROTECTOR FOR CLOTHESLINES Erling J. Holman, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application April 22, 1936, Serial No. 75,847

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in protectors for clothes lines, and is directed more particularly to the reel, its carrier, support and kindred mechanism.

The objects of the invention are to provide an improved protector for clothes lines; to provide a container for the protector strip reel which is removable from the support having the clothesline engaging pulley; to aline, as nearly as possible, the protector strip and the reach of the line to which applied; to prevent the strip from being returned to the reel; to thus necessitate a clean strip to be utilized each time a protection for the clothes-line is required; to provide interlocking means between the reel core and the mounting mechanism; to arranged for convenient reloading of the container with a new reel; to secure simplicity of construction and operation; and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawing in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved protector for clothes-lines, indicating its mode and manner of use;

Figure 2 is an edge View of the major portion of the device, taken as a section through a supporting bracket as upon line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is an edge view of the container removed from its support and looking in the same direction as in Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is an edge view of the support, looking in the opposite direction from Figs. 2 and 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Figure 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Figure '7 is a diametric sectional view of the 40 reel and container on line 'l---'! of Fig. 6; and

Figure 8 is an elevation of a modified construction of support for the container.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in said drawing, the reference numeral l0 designates a support having toward its upper and lower forward corners pulleys II, II over which a clothes-line I2 is passed. The construction shown forms the said support of sheet metal or other suitable material in a manner to provide two parallel sides spaced apart to receive the said pulleys therebetween and to permit passage of the clothes-line therebetween downward from the upper reach and pulley to the lower reach and pulley. The forward edge of the support is vertically arcuate to fit and receive a part of the L. circumference of a container described below.

The rear part of the support is vertically semicylindrical formed as a cross-connecting and integral part of the metal of the two sides of the support.

The support may be installed on a window frame or other fixed part l5 of a building by such means as a U-shaped bracket IS the mid-portion of which is as long as the height of the support IB and is flat so as to be secured, as by screws H, to the said fixed part l5 of the building. The legs l8-l8 of the bracket project forwardly and receive the rear portion of the support therebetween. A vertically disposed pin 28 passes downwardly through holes in the two said legs I8, 18;

and through the semi-cylindrical rear part M ofthe support, thus giving to the support a secure but swinging mounting from the building. The support may, however, be secured to the building,

if desired, through the agency of a hook 2h (Fig. 5) inserted through slots 22, 22 in the rear connecting wall of the support l0. In either event, the support may oscillate upon a vertical axis, but is not permitted to change from an upright position.

An essential feature of the present invention is the provision of a reel container 23 at the front of the support and in close proximity to the lower reach of the clothes line at the upper side thereof. This container 23 is shown cylindrical with its cylindrical wall 24 having an arcuate portion thereof in fitting engagement with the arcuate forward edge l3 of the support. Said arcuate portion of wall 24 is provided with a pair of key-slots 25, one above the other in the present showing. The larger part of these key-slots will pass heads 26 therethro-ugh of studs, rivets or the like, the shanks 27 of which will pass into the smaller parts of the slots upon appropriate angular or rotative movement of the container for that purpose. The other ends of said shanks 27 are secured in cross-bars 28 spanning between and fast with respect to the parallel walls of the support near the arcuate edges thereof. These cross-bars 28 function both to carry the rivets in fixed position and to secure the front parts of the said walls with respect to each other.

At a forward lower part of the cylindrical wall of the container is provided a slot 29 of appropriate size to enable the passage therefrom of a protective strip 38 of paper or other suitable material. This strip is drawn from a roll of the strip material mounted in the container by a suitable reel iii. The parts are proportioned so as to pass the lower reach of the clothes-line very.

close beneath the container with the strip passing from the container through said slot 29 in close proximity to the upper side of the lower reach of the clothes-line. Therefore, upon attaching an outer end of the strip to the clothesline, as by forked clothes-pin 32, and then feeding the line outward, the strip receives a direct pull and feeds outwardly with the clothes-line, readily bending longitudinally over the line as shown.

The reel construction is associated with the container preferably to prevent re-winding of the strip 30 for insuring clean fresh protective material at all times. The container provides what may be termed a back wall 33 closing one end of the cylindrical wall 24, and a removable cover or front wall 34 at the opposite end of the cylindrical wall. These end walls 33 and 34 are obviously circular or disc shaped to correspond to the cylindrical configuration of the cylindrical wall shown. However, if other shapes of containers than cylindrical are employed, the shape of the end walls will be varied accordingly.

Extending axially through the container and protruding through the middle of the cover, is an axle 35, the outer end of which is screw threaded to receive holding means, such as wing nut 36 for retaining the cover in place. The cover may appropriately interlock at its edge with the cylindrical wall so that when the wing nut holds the cover seated said cover cannot rotate. If desired, axle 35 may be brazed or otherwise made fast with respect to the back wall of the container so as to be a permanent part of the container.

The reel preferably includes a pair of plates or discs 31, 38 placeable upon the said axle in con centric relationship thereto, one disc 31 being between the coiled strip 30 and the back wall, whereas the other disc 38 is positioned between the coiled strip and the front wall or cover. Both discs have arcuate spring-like pawls 39 stamped therefrom the free ends of which engage against the inside face of the adjacent end wall of the container. These spring pawls are for purposes of applying a braking action to prevent undue or inadvertent unwinding of the strip, and also to prevent re-winding of the strip back upon the reel. If desired, suitable positive detents 48 may be provided upon the inner faces of said end walls in the paths of the pawls over which the pawls will ride in moving in one direction but against which the ends of the pawls will come into abutment when attempting to rotate the reel in the opposite direction.

The paper or other strip 30 is coiled upon a spool M, which preferably has a plurality of longitudinal grooves in the outer surface thereof. One disc, preferably the one 31 next the back wall is provided with fingers 42 (in equal number and disposition as the grooves in the spool) which fingers are bent to parallel relationship to the axis of the discs and container at proper distance from the center so as to enter the said grooves in the spool longitudinally thereof and project at the other side of the spool. The other plate 38 has openings 43 to receive the said fingers which project therethrough. Appropriate spring action and/or bending of the ends of the fingers obtains a releasable assembly of the fingers with respect to the outer plate 31. It will therefore be clear that the spool, with the strip material coiled thereon, and the discs or plates 31, 38 must of necessity rotate together and that preventing of rotation of the plates also prevents rotation of the spool and strip material.

In Figure 8 is shown a modified portabletype of support 44 on which is carried container 23. This support comprises an arcuate portion 45 on the concave side of which project studs, rivets or the like 46 to be received by the key-slots 25 as heretofore described. At the bottom of the arcuate portion 45 is provided a suitable mounting 47 for a clothes-line pulley 48 below which is a convenient handle 49. A side opening 50 below the pulley permits application of the pulley upon a line l2. This type is for use where the line is fixed and the device is moved along the line to apply the protective strip thereto. Suitable hooks or the like may be provided on the handle for hanging clothes bags, clothespin bags, and the like (not shown) thereon as desired. The handle 69 depends below the line and may have sufficient weight in itself to counter-balance the weight of the structure above the line. However, hanging articles on hooks 5i will answer or augment this purpose.

Obviously other changes and modifications may be made in the construction and use of my improved protector for clothes lines, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the details of construction shown or described except as specifically recited in the following claims when construed in the light of the prior art.

I claim:

1. A protector for clothes lines comprising in combination with a support, a container having a releasable connection for removably mounting the container upon the support, said con--;

tainer being cylindrical and having an integral end wall and an opposite removable end cover, an axle axially positioned in said container and projecting through said cover, removable means on said axle for retaining said cover on the container, a reel within the container rotatable on said axle, said reel having braking means between it and the said removable cover and pressing in a direction parallel to said axle for deterring inadvertent unreeling rotation thereof both while the container is carried by the support and when removed therefrom, said braking means also functioning as a ratchet to prevent re-reeling rotation of the reel.

2. A protector for clothes lines comprising a container having an axle therein, in combination with a reel and a spool of paper having a core with longitudinal grooves the length thereof, said reel having a disc with fingers projecting therefrom substantially parallel to said core and positioned within the said grooves thereof for interlocking the said disc to rotate with the spool, and braking means between the reel and container thereby effective to also brake the spool.

3. A protector for clothes lines comprising a container having an axle therein, in combination with a reel and a spool of paper having a core with longitudinal grooves the length thereof, said reel having opposed discs at opposite ends of the core and one of said discs having fingers projecting therefrom substantially parallel to said core and positioned within the said grooves thereof for interlocking the said disc to rotate with the spool, and the other said disc having openings for receiving ends of said fingers for rotatably interlocking that disc with the spool, and braking means between both discs and container thereby effective to also brake the spool.

ERLING J. I-IOLMAN. 

